Although Trump is bonkers, his madness will be contained

The day on which we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday will also be one of the darkest and most shameful days in the history of this nation, when the man who attempted a coup against the United States will be sworn in for the second time as president.

Let me reassure you about a few things.

First, if you’re outraged, disgusted, or depressed by this, you are hardly alone.

Even though Trump got the most votes, his margin of victory was razor-thin. More than a third of eligible voters (many of whom voted for Biden in 2020) didn’t even vote. According to yesterday’s New York Times/Ipsos poll, most Americans are either worried or pessimistic about Trump’s second term. Half of America hates him.

I also want to assure you that although Trump is bonkers, his madness will be contained.

The federal courts — most of whose judges were nominated by Democratic presidents — will help limit his illegal or unconstitutional recklessness. (The Supreme Court reviews fewer than 1 percent of federal cases.)

Trump’s own obsession with the stock market will limit his wilder economic ideas, such as imposing tariffs on all nations, which would cause the market to plunge.

The Republican majority in the House is so narrow that a couple of members can derail or kill anything Trump wants.

I’m also confident that the essential goodness and common sense of the American people will limit his cruelty — such as splitting up families and putting undocumented people into concentration camps.

We will come to the aid of our communities. We will protect the vulnerable. We will resist Trump’s efforts to prosecute his political enemies.

We will not compromise with fascism. We will continue to fight for the rule of law, for social justice, for equal opportunity, for democracy.

I predict a large political backlash against Trump starting with the 2026 midterm elections. (I will get into this in tomorrow’s letter to you.)

I don’t want to sound like a pollyanna. I’m aware of how dangerous the next few years could be. But I’m old enough to have seen this nation at its best and at its worst. I remember Joe McCarthy. I remember Richard Nixon.

We are a resilient people. We will get through this scourge.

Finally and on a more personal note, I want to thank you for your support of this daily letter. Your enthusiasm, your comments, and your sharing of it reassure me that it remains a worthwhile endeavor. In these coming dark times — as long as I am able — it will continue.

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Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.